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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997728">Coffee Grinds and Morse Code</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashkazora/pseuds/ashkazora'>ashkazora</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coffee Shops, M/M, Trope Inversion, barista!lance, canonverse, coffee shop AU, valentineexchange2020, yearofshance's valentineexchange2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashkazora/pseuds/ashkazora</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I always wonder what a pretty face is doing in a place like this.”</p><p> </p><p>Coy to the other man's flirting, Shiro replied, “Getting coffee?” </p><p> </p><p>"Of course, why would I think otherwise." Lance barked out a laugh, leaning onto the counter on his elbows and peering up at Shiro through half-lidded eyes. "What will it be this time, darling?"</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>A million lightyears away from Earth, Shiro drinks some coffee and learns a thing or two about the cute barista down the road.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lance &amp; Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coffee Grinds and Morse Code</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadDemonheart/gifts">MadDemonheart</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Beta'd by the amazing @Rueitae! I recommend you check her ao3 account out, she's written some of my favourite Plance works.</p><p>Written for MadDemonheart in the @yearofshance 2020 Valentines Exchange! They requested a coffee shop AU, so I happily obliged. Hopefully the tags didn't spoil too much. </p><p>Sit back, relax, and enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Back again so soon, handsome?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking into the quaint coffee shop wearing a large mauve trench coat and black gloves, Shiro heard a small bell rang from the top of the door. It was another day on Regulus-IV, a small but habitable planet home to an Earth-like metropolis and lush, sprawling suburbs. Every day since landing on the planet, Shiro had taken to visiting a particular cafe hidden on the edge of a park in Regulus-IV's most populous city, Leh'ha-Adama. He couldn't read the alien language that named the cafe, but Shiro took to calling it ‘Junction’ for very specific reasons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was no different from Earthen cafes; the same exposed brick designs and pale beige and pastel interiors, but there was something that made this particular cafe so special. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know I couldn't stay away." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bright, melodious laugh erupted from the only worker in the store. With gorgeous dark skin and rich chocolate hair, the barista and their talks with one another was Shiro's favourite part of the day. Shiro found himself drawn to the expressive young man, like sleep-deprived pilots to coffee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I always wonder what a pretty face is doing in a place like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coy to the other man's flirting, Shiro replied, “Getting coffee?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course, why would I think otherwise." The man barked out a laugh, leaning onto the counter on his elbows and peering up at Shiro through half-lidded eyes. "What will it be this time, darling?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro looked over at the menu, pondering for a moment before glancing back at the other man. "Same as usual. Surprise me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The barista grinned, his sapphire-blue eyes brightening at Shiro's suggestion. Truth be told, Shiro was absolutely horrible at ordering coffee and always managed to fuck up what he wanted. Dark was always too bitter, and lattes always too sweet. Yet somehow the barista always knew exactly what he was in the mood for. The young man worked wonders on his coffees and so Shiro found himself coming back every day for a new and exciting beverage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You got it!" the barista beamed. "Name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro raised an eyebrow. He was certain that the young man knew his name. How could he forget? He must have looked visibly disappointed because the barista waved a hand in the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm kidding! How could I forget your name when you have a face like yours?" A self-satisfied smirk grew on the man's face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro knew that he was flirting with him. The same banter happened every day for almost a month now: walk in, get hit on by the barista, make small talk while he prepared the coffee, and leave to go to work. Same old, same old, yet the routine never got tiring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His work was tiring at the best of times, and absolutely soul-sucking at the worst. It was moments like these - flirting, teasing, the barista's million-dollar smile - that made Shiro's job worth it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That'll be five GAC, though you can have it for free. Your smile is worth ten GAC </span>
  <em>
    <span>at least</span>
  </em>
  <span>." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro frowned. "Are you sure? Won't you get into trouble with your boss?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Snorting in mirth, the man gestured towards the empty cafe. "Do you see anyone else here? My boss won't be back until at least five doboshes. She'll never know a thing." With that, he ended his sentence with a wink. Shiro tried to hide the sudden warmth in his cheeks by rummaging around his pockets. Finally, he lifted up a ten GAC note and promptly placed it on the counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Keep the change," he said, smiling softly at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the barista's turn to blush, a beautiful cherry-pink pigmentation spreading evenly across his dark skin. The man fumbled with the note.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," he said softly, before clearing his throat. "Gimme a sec, your drink will be ready before you can say 'quiznak!' Despite his cheery words and light demeanour, Shiro’s mood darkened at the saying. He wanted - no </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> - to talk more with the barista, but as he watched the man screw his face in deep concentration to make the drink, Shiro didn't dare interrupt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After only a minute, the barista placed down a large drink at the edge of the counter. Shiro eyed it over. It was light brown with streaks of pink and black shaken into the mixture. Topping the seemingly incredibly saccharine concoction was a large dollop of white, creamy swirl with smaller brown flakes on top of it. The name 'Shiro' was written on the side in large, loopy letters. Underneath the name, he could see an assortment of dots and dashes, almost too small to pick up with the naked human eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here ya go, Shiro! A sweet-looking drink for an even sweeter-looking man." With one final touch, a transparent straw was placed into the drink. Eyeing the cup, Shiro inspected the barista's handiwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> wow, or a </span>
  <em>
    <span>this looks terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> wow?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I feel like I might get diabetes just staring at it." Shiro tried to keep a straight face at his joke but couldn't stop a grin from bleeding through. He picked up the drink, his gloved hand covering the writing on the cup.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ha</span>
  </em>
  <span> You might! There's three pumps of caramel sauce, two pumps of chocolate, and four pumps of </span>
  <em>
    <span>dv'ush</span>
  </em>
  <span> essence. Enough to make a grown man cry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But seriously, it looks great. Thanks..." Trailing off, Shiro realised that he didn't know the barista's name. God, that was embarrassing. Had he even </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked</span>
  </em>
  <span>? The man remembered his name from the very first time they had interacted, yet Shiro didn't have the decency to ask the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Luckily, the man saved him further humiliation. "Blue, you can call me Blue."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like your eyes?" Shiro said before he could stop himself. He flushed, registering his statement implied that he actively stared into Blue's </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> blue eyes, which he </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn't</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, maybe sometimes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue didn't seem to take offence, rather preening at Shiro's words. "Exactly." He said, winking and shooting a finger gun at the older man. But before Shiro could reply, a figure burst through the staff door at the back of the cafe. It was a native to Regulus-IV, a Cl'ava; a pinkish, horned humanoid figure that oddly resembled a Teifling from those old tabletop games him and Matt used to play, except for the semi-snouted nose and inky black sclera. They looked female though with the species it was hard to tell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'My boss,” he mouthed at Shiro, before turning to the newcomer. "Maytal! Welcome back!" Blue grinned at the Cl'ava. They scowled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You!" Maytal turned towards Shiro, barking out in a dangerous tone. "Shop's closed. Come back tomorrow." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro saw a flash of fear cover Blue's face though not even a second later the barista carefully contorted his expression into a neutral mask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You better go, Shiro. Maytal and I need to work a few things out." His voice was low, almost desperate. Shiro hesitated. It made him want to jump between the two cafe workers and protect Blue. Very subtly, Blue's thumb and finger touched, and Shiro's eyes darkened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See you tomorrow, Blue," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without another moment of hesitation, Shiro strode out of the cafe with the coffee in hand. He turned the corner of the street and took one sip of his drink. It tasted of pure sugar with hints of chocolate intermixed. With the initial tasting out of the way, it was time to drop all false pretense. He looked at the order on the side of his cup; eyes widening after reading over the ingredients.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trepidation gnawed in Shiro's belly, worry etching the creases in his weathered face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three pumps of caramel sauce. <span class="u"><em>Meeting taking place, 0300 hours.</em></span></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two pumps of chocolate. <span class="u"><em>Class two threat, expect armed personnel. </em></span></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One pump of </span>
  <em>
    <span>dv'ush</span>
  </em>
  <span> essence. <span class="u"><em>High priority meeting.</em></span></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dots and dashes on the cup where Shiro’s name should’ve been. <em><span class="u">Coordinates of the exchange, written in morse.</span></em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the code word quiznak. <span class="u"><em>Extraction needed immediately.</em></span></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Blue was in danger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dropping the cup, Shiro dug into his pocket and picked up a small, orange tablet. What was once a warm, summer-esque breeze sent chills down his spine as he punched the opening code on the tablet and then a phone number. The phone rang once,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Come on. Pick up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>twice,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hurry</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>thrice-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A click sounded in his ear. Static echoed for a tick before a tinny, masculine voice blared through the speaker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I hope you know you've interrupted me in the middle-" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stop what you're doing, Matt, and listen up,” Shiro growled curtly. “Blue gave us the coordinates for the meeting and now in trouble. He needs extraction immediately. Sending the location now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Shiro texted the list of decoded morse found on the cup and the other information provided by the barista, he heard a vulgar string of curses from his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're on our way ASAP. You go get your man, Black."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The line went dead. Shiro turned and sprinted as fast as his legs would let him. He darted past the coffee shop, his heart plummeting as he gazed inside of the windows. All of the lights were turned off, no soul in sight inside of the now dim cafe. Cursing to himself, he ran down the street and turned, heading towards the alleyway behind the cafe. Even from behind the corner, he could hear the distinct sounds of an angered conversation inside. All of his muscles tensing, Shiro leaned on the stone wall and listened intently into the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet no other words were said. A large </span>
  <em>
    <span>crunch</span>
  </em>
  <span> cracked the silence of the alleyway followed up by a sharp, pained inhale and then a quiet chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t wait anymore. Shiro flung himself around the corner, body dropping into an ever-so-familiar fighting stance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What greeted his eyes was the slightly battered form of Blue, his barista outfit gone, only a slim-fitting turtleneck and leggings remaining. His back was turned to the former black paladin, yet Shiro saw small droplets of blood fall onto the pavement at the man’s feet.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good to see your ass here! Took you long enough." Blue grinned but didn't take his eyes off of the horned Cl'ava. Maytal - if Shiro remembered her name correctly - sneered, her pink face darkening in disgust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now what would the Captain of the ATLAS be doing here?" Her saccharine voice called out. "Mind your own business, off-world scum."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro scowled, clenching his prosthetic hand until he trusted himself not to say the wrong thing. "It's over, Maytal. Or should I say, Chira’ah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chira’ah’s eyes widened; Shiro saw flashes of shock, horror, anger, show on her face, before settling on pure, undiluted contempt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your time is up. We know how you've been laundering stolen money through the cafe, and using said money to buy illegal Galran contraband. If you come quietly, the Voltron Coalition will be notified of your compliance." Shiro said, his voice level, exactly the right amount of monotone to convey authority and dominance. From the corner of his eye, he could see Blue shiver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>We</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" She screeched, her body whipping to face Blue. "I knew you were dirty, you filthy little-" A white, blinding hot anger surged through the former Black Paladin. How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> this criminal talk to Blue that way. Before the horned woman could finish her sentence, Shiro let out a guttural growl and proceeded to charge at her, socking Chira’ah in the face. She fell down like a ton of bricks, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crash</span>
  </em>
  <span> echoing through the alleyway as her head hit the pavement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grinning, Bl- no, no need to keep up the act, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lance</span>
  </em>
  <span>, wiped the small trickle of crimson blood from under his nose. In the dim alleyway lights, the former Blue Paladin looked almost crazed, the scars bisecting his eyebrow and cutting harshly into his upper lip emphasised by the casted shadows. His sapphire eyes were brightened in a feral sort of gaze, which immediately softened as he turned towards Shiro.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Quiznak</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I've missed this," Lance said, his voice a type of breathy that Shiro totally wasn't attracted to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What, beating up bad guys?" Shiro asked incredulously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nah." Lance began to say though grinned guiltily as Shiro shot him a disbelieving stare. "Well, yeah, but doing it with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, he didn't even try to hide his blush. God, it had been so long since he had one-on-one time with his boyfriend. And hey, fighting was definitely a good outlet for the tension he’d felt while Lance was away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you hurt?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't think so. Chira’ah may have run one of the largest crime syndicates on this side of the supercluster, but she couldn't throw a punch to save her life." He declared and like an afterthought, added, "reminded me of Keith pre-Voltron days."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh? How so?" Shiro asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance simply replied: "Hotheaded."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two men broke out into laughter. Their mirth continued for some time until stitches formed in their stomachs. Ti Shuro, it felt so great to finally be reunited with his boyfriend after months of deep undercover work for the Voltron Coalition. The Coalition needed someone on this inside of Regulus-IV’s greatest trade - crime - and, Lance had volunteered himself; his stint as the Red Lion’s pilot led to a reckless streak (or perhaps good instincts) that only served to greater his restlessness.  That was almost six months ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The coffee shop was a ruse, a front used for money laundering by the biggest organised gang (well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>gang</span>
  </em>
  <span> was too soft of a word. Syndicate fitted better) on the planet, and the generated money used primarily to buy illegal Galran contraband. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance trailed his laughter off first, gesturing towards the fallen body of the Cl'ava. Chira’ah, the owner of the shop and one of the main figures in the syndicate, had recently brought a couple planet’s worth of powerful explosives, illegal plasma arms and most worryingly of all, hydrogen-matter fused bombs. The Voltron Coalition decided it was only a matter of time before Regulus-IV would fall into chaos, with the various illegal organisations preparing to control the planet. Normally, such a backwater and primitive planet wouldn’t be so much of a cause for concern, but Regulus-IV was a vital refuelling station for the Coalition, acting as a waypoint between Earth and the outer reaches of the local supercluster. If destroyed, Earth would effectively be cut off from the wider galaxies especially those without sufficient faster-than-light technology; only truly advanced planets such as the Olkari would have the necessary technologies available to reach Earth without refuelling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Initially, Shiro was placed as the head of the task force dedicated to scrutinising the situation and determining how much of a threat Chira’ah and her lackeys were to Regulus-IV. It didn’t even take a week before he realised they needed someone on the inside to report on the situation and help send vital information back to the coalition. And it just so happened that an eager former paladin was at the ready. And thank god he was, Shiro thought. After Haggar's defeat, he didn't think that the jovial teenager would ever be the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance… took the end of the war </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no denying that Lance was most definitely not okay. He came back to Earth and was greeted with his family in shambles, home destroyed, and father killed in the initial invasion of their home planet. But like good soldiers, he and the entire team pushed down their emotions to finally put an end to the ten-thousand-year-old conflict. It wasn’t even a week after Team Voltron had killed Haggar that Lance threw himself back into space, and Shiro had no choice but to follow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so the two men adventured back into the galaxy; Shiro acting as the leader of the newly-expanded Voltron Coalition, and Lance, the cryptid paladin who’d embark on Coalition missions, leave for a month to do god-knows-what and then come back, slightly dishevelled but longing for a new adventure. It took six months, copious amounts of crudely diluted ethanol and a fed-up Veronica McClain locking them in a closet, but the two finally had a heart to heart conversation about themselves, their relationship, and their future. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro knew what it was like to feel lost; drowning in an ever-expanding galaxy of white noise. He knew how painful it was to die, he knew the frigid echo of loneliness like a dear friend. He found himself extending a hand towards the wayward boy, asking Lance what he truly wanted. The answer shocked him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two truths were revealed in that dark, musty closet on ATLAS.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One, Lance had a crush on Shiro for the better part of half a decade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And two, Shiro liked him back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two had been orbiting each other for a while before they went back into space. Like sister planets, Shiro and Lance danced around their feeling in an awfully awkward game of footsies. Was it inevitable that they finally breached the distance between them, falling into each other’s gravity? Maybe. They helped each other heal from the war, Shiro provided stability, and Lance gave jovial energy only the youth seemed to possess.  Thankfully, working on missions gave both of them a future purpose, a renewed vigour of life that only came when one saw that they finally had a place in the ever-expansive puzzle that people call the universe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After they shared drunken words in a cramped closet and giggled like schoolgirls throughout the night, for the first time in many months Lance didn't leave when the sun rose again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fast forward a portion of time later that really couldn't be measured due to time dilation, the former Blue Paladin eagerly volunteered himself for the mission on Regulus-IV. He suspected that Lance missed the action and adventure of the battlefield (and truth be told, Shiro did as well). Shiro had little reason to deny Lance the mission, between his natural talent engaging with strangers and ability to fake his way through about anything (something his mother corroborated with something about being sick for almost a month in the third grade) he seemed perfectly suited to the undercover work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Shiro was worried about his new boyfriend, he didn't show it. Lance needed some confidence, a sturdy rock he could rely on if things ever did get tough, and Shiro was determined to play such a role. So they had a code; Shiro would come into the coffee shop every day, and Lance would pass on information about the whereabouts of meetings, weapons stashes, and locations of people of interest. Caramel sauce meant an important meeting, the number of pumps was the time; chocolate sauce told the class of the threat and pumps of dv'ush essence indicated the priority of the interception. Never was Shiro’s real name written on the cup, in its place a morse code of the location of these meetings was written in the black barista markers. If Lance ever said the work ‘quiznak,’ it would mean his position was compromised and needed immediate extraction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What should we do with her?” Lance said, knocking Shiro out of his musings as he jabbed a thumb back in the air to point at the fallen alien. His smile seemed light, though a faint, weathered scar bisecting his upper lip caused the younger Paladin to look a lot more haggard than necessary.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll wait for a team to take her back to the ATLAS. We've got more than enough room in the holding cells for her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Lance sucked in a breath through his teeth. It was a habit Shiro hated by his boyfriend, though it always let him know when he was feeling anxious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Babe... I'm sorry. I know I messed up by bringing you in earlier than intended-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro growled internally. More than ever, he hated Lance's  low opinion of himself - after a successful mission by any standard. Before he could continue, Shiro wrapped his arms around Lance's torso and ducked his head, cutting the Cuban man off with a kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't say that.” Shiro murmured, looking down at the man with his forehead pressed up against Lance’s. After years of being together, Lance was now only just a couple centimetres shorter than the former Black Paladin. “Was everything okay? Did you get hurt?” Worry tinged his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I... someone recognised me. Chira’ah suspected something and confronted me, though she had no idea about my connection to the ATLAS before you showed up.” He paused, and silence overtook the pair. Nervous energy radiated off of the shorter man, his azure blue eyes crinkled in frustrated despair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re okay.” And that was the wholehearted truth in Shiro’s eyes. He would raze a thousand planets just to keep his partner safe without any hesitation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiro leaned in for another hearty embrace but stumbled as Lance moved his head away. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> “As much as I’d like to kiss you right now, I don’t think this is the most romantic place.” Lance gestured towards the dark, slightly bloodied alleyway with the collapsed Cl'ava’s pink body still lay sprawled on the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to wait here until Matt can come and pick Chira’ah up, but after we get back…” Shiro trailed off, his dark eyes staring at the lanky man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lance bit his lip. “I can’t wait, </span>
  <em>
    <span>handsome</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blue</span>
  </em>
  <span>.“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey babe, I’m thinking of retiring.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? How come?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My ass looked great in a barista outfit.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I guess I can't write a Shance AU without it being in Shiro's POV lmao.</p><p>Crossing my fingers you guys think the twist was worth it. To be honest, I'm terrible at writing meet-cute/mundane AUs so when I got this prompt, I was really struggling. Luckily, some awesome people at the Plance discord server helped me out and suggested Trope Inversion, which really spiced things up.</p><p>To Mad, I hope this was up to your standards, and I really hope you enjoyed this!</p><p>Happy valentines day y'all xx</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>Check me out on @ashkazora on Tumblr if you ever want to talk about VLD or other fandoms! My PMs are always open to ramble about vee el dee. </p><p>If you liked this don’t forget to leave a kudos and maybe a comment! Your feedback fuels me to write more &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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